ARLINGTON, Texas – Three Houston relievers combined for eight scoreless innings Wednesday night, as the 11th-seeded Cougars defeated No. 6 seed K-State, 9-2, ending the Wildcats run at the 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship at Globe Life Field.
 
Houston, which earned its first Big 12 Conference tournament win, improves to 30-24 on the year and will face third-seeded TCU Thursday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU. K-State (31-24) will learn its NCAA Tournament fate on Monday, May 26 at 11 a.m. via the 2025 NCAA Selection Show, which can be seen on ESPN2.
 
“We come to these tournaments to try and win them and play well,” head coach Pete Hughes commented. “We got off to a really good start, and obviously, we couldn’t build on anything from there.”
 
“We had the chance to answer a five-run inning in the second, and we started building an inning that allows you to get back into the game with a hit by pitch and a walk and we ran the bases poorly. So, we squandered a great opportunity to get back in, and that kind of set the tone for the game,’ Hughes added.
 
Cougars’ starter Paul Schmitz surrendered two runs in the opening frame and scattered two hits before handing the ball over to Andres Perez. The right-handed reliever held the Cats to just two hits in his four innings of work with four strikeouts on his way to earning the win (3-1), while Brady Fuller was credited the save.  
 
Left-hander Jacob Frost was tagged for the loss, dropping his record to 1-4, as the St. Louis, Mo., product was spotted for five runs in the second.
 
Five different players recorded a hit for K-State, with Dee Kennedy driving in both runs in the first.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
After holding the Cougars in the top half of the first  inning, K-State jumped out to a 2-0 lead behind a two-run single by Kennedy.
 
Maximus Martin was issued a walk before a single from Keegan O’Connor and hit by pitch loaded the bases to bring Kennedy to the plate. The Cats’ third baseman flared a 2-2 pitch into center field to spot Schmitz for the runs.
 
Houston immediately answered with five runs in the second, leading K-State to make a call to the pen and bring James Guyette to the hill. The right-hander forced a grounder to second to stop the damage.  
 
After two scoreless innings, the Cougars scored four runs over a three-inning stretch to put the game away, leveling the season series with the Wildcats, 2-2.
 
INSIDE THE BOX

• Houston scored nine runs on 11 hits, committed one error, and stranded nine runners on base.
• K-State scored two runs on five hits with two errors and leaving eight runners on base..
• Frost was tagged for the loss after allowing five runs, all earned, in 1 2/3 innings of work.
• Five different Wildcats had a hit.  
• Perez (3-1) picked up the win in relief, limiting K-State to two hits over four scoreless innings.
• Fuller earned the save after firing three scoreless innings.   
• Houston utilized four pitchers in the victory.
• K-State hit .200 (3-for-15) with runners on base and .143 (1-for-7) with men in scoring position while Houston was 7-for-25 (.280) with runners on and 6-for-14 (.429) in scoring position.
• Houston drove in three runs with two outs, while K-State had two.

 TEAM NOTES

• The Cats are 22-29 when playing in the Big 12 Tournament, and 8-11 under Hughes.
• K-State leads the all-time series, 7-4, with a 5-3 edge in games played in Texas.
• Wednesday’s contest marked the first meeting between the two teams in postseason play. 

In this episode of Next Up, Adam Breneman sits down with the man behind the curtain at Penn State Football—general manager Andy Frank. For years, Andy has played a critical but often unseen role in building one of the top programs in college football. He’s been Coach Franklin’s right-hand man going all the way back to their time at Vanderbilt, and now he’s overseeing everything from roster construction and recruiting strategy to navigating the chaos of NIL (name, image, and likeness), the transfer portal, and revenue sharing.

With revenue sharing on the horizon and college football entering a new era, this conversation is a rare look at how top programs are preparing for massive change — and how Penn State is positioning itself to win big. Andy is one of the most thoughtful minds in the sport, and this conversation is packed with insights you won’t get anywhere else.

The NIL era of college basketball comes with drawbacks, but it also means players who previously would have declared for the NBA Draft are returning to school — either with their original teams or new ones via the transfer portal. 

Only 106 players declared early for the 2025 NBA Draft — the fewest since 2015, when just 91 elected to forgo their remaining eligibility to turn pro. That trend has played out this offseason with players like Texas Tech’s JT Toppin, who bypassed the draft process entirely thanks to a lucrative NIL deal.

Several players in this year’s class still have a decision to make ahead of the May 28 stay-or-go draft deadline. One of them is Florida starting center Alex Condon, who played a key role in the Gators’ run to the national title. Condon is a borderline late first-round pick, and his return would likely solidify Florida as a preseason top-five team.

Here are five players who should bypass the 2025 NBA Draft and return to school.

Alex Condon, Florida

2024-25 season stats: GP: 37 | PPG: 10.6 | RPG: 7.5 | APG: 2.2

Another college year could do wonders for Condon’s long-term draft stock. The 6-foot-11 forward/center is projected to go at the end of the first round in several mock drafts, but he could easily slide into the second round if he stays. That’s why returning to school — where he would reinforce the deepest frontcourt in the country — is the wise decision.

Condon started all but two games during a magical 2024-25 season and recorded at least 10 rebounds in 10 regular-season games last year. Florida’s star big man didn’t match that production in the NCAA Tournament. He suffered an ankle injury against Maryland in the Sweet 16 but was able to return for the stretch run. If Condon stays and plays well, he could become a lottery pick in 2026.

2024-25 season stats: GP: 30 | PPG: 12.3 | RPG: 4.4 | APG: 2.7

The lengthy 6-foot-7 wing is coming off a breakout 2024-25 campaign, but he still needs more time in college to maximize his stock. Byrd started 30 games and averaged career-highs in points, steals, blocks, assists and rebounds.

Byrd is a volume 3-point shooter who connected on 30.1% of his 5.9 attempts per night. The SDSU star projects as a second-round pick, so it would be wise for him to return to build off a standout season where he showed flashes of being a two-way talent at the next level. Returning to school and being “the guy” at San Diego State should put him in the middle of the first round in 2026. NBA teams will buy into his length and the projectability of his shot if he chooses to stay in the NBA Draft.

2024-25 season stats: GP: 36 | PPG: 16.2 | RPG: 4.7 | APG: 1.7

It makes sense for Oweh to return to school for multiple reasons. It’s doubtful Oweh will sneak into the end of the first round. If he returns to school, Oweh can build off a standout 2024-25 season, which saw him finish as UK’s leading scorer in Year 1 of the Mark Pope era.

Oweh is a true two-way talent, so getting him back in the fold would be a huge win for Pope and his staff. He averaged a career-high 16.2 points and 1.6 steals during his first season with the Wildcats. Kentucky has rebuilt its roster this offseason mostly through the transfer portal, but members of last year’s team running it back include Brandon Garrison, Collin Chandler and Trent Noah. Oweh would be the best player on Kentucky’s roster and a potential SEC Player of the Year candidate if he runs it back. The pros of returning to school outweigh the risk of sliding in the second round.

2024-25 season stats: GP: 38 | PPG: 11.6 | RPG: 2.2 | APG: 3.0

The door is open for Pettiford to return to Auburn if he doesn’t get a first-round guarantee. Pettiford did have a strong showing at the NBA Draft Combine earlier this month, but it still seems more likely than not that he won’t get that first-round promise he is looking for.

The other reason why Pettiford running it back would be the right decision is he’s a potential All-American if he returns to Auburn. Last year, he was a true microwave scorer off the bench. There were multiple instances when he took over down the stretch to help the Tigers pull away. If he returns for his sophomore season, he will be the focal point of Auburn’s offense. Getting the keys handed to him and improving his all-around game would do wonders for his draft stock in 2026.

2024-25 season stats: GP: 40 | PPG: 11.4 | RPG: 3.1 | APG: 4.3

Uzan took a significant step forward during his first year at Houston. He was the Cougars’ best 3-point shooter, connecting on 42.8% of his shots from beyond the arc, but outside of Uzan’s performance against Purdue in the Sweet 16 — which saw him score a game-winning bucket to help the Cougars advance — he didn’t have his best showing in the NCAA Tournament. 

Uzan running it back would be a perfect marriage for both parties because, at this moment, he’s a second-round pick if he stays in the draft. 

Houston projects as a preseason top-three team heading into the 2025-26 campaign. Getting Uzan back would help the Cougars make the case for preseason No.1. He can also shake off a lackluster showing at the NCAA Tournament, which saw him shoot just 5 of 19 against Duke and Florida during the final weekend of the college basketball season.

The Super Regionals are underway during the 2025 NCAA Tournament following an action-packed Regional weekend. Now, each team are two wins away from qualifying for the 2025 Women’s College World Series.

Matchups in the 2025 NCAA Softball Super Regionals kicked off with two top-16 matchups on Thursday. That includes the Tallahassee Super Regional between Florida State and Texas Tech, as well as the Austin Super Regional between Texas and Clemson. After that, the six other series will begin on Friday.

The second stage of the tournament will feature eight best of three series between the Regional champions crowned last weekend. These matchups will begin play on May 22 and conclude on May 26, if a game three is necessary. The winners of these two cities will meet for the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City at the WCWS later this month. Here’s how those series shape up:

Eugene Super Regional: Liberty vs. No. 16 Oregon

Game 1: Friday, May 23 | 10:00 p.m. ET | ESPNU
Game 2: Saturday, May 24 | 7:00 p.m. ET
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 25 | TBD

Norman Super Regional: No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 15 Alabama

Game 1: Friday, May 23 | 5:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 2: Saturday, May 24 | 3:00 p.m. ET
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 25 | TBD

Gainesville Super Regional: No. 3 Florida vs. Georgia

Game 1: Friday, May 23 | 11:00 a.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 2: Saturday, May 24 | 11:00 a.m. ET
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 25 | TBD

Fayetteville Super Regional: No. 4 Arkansas vs. Ole Miss

Game 1: Friday, May 23 | 8:00 p.m. ET | ESPNU
Game 2: Saturday, May 24 | 9:00 p.m. ET
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 25 | TBD

Game 1: Thursday, May 22 | 7:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 2: Friday, May 23 | 3:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 3 (if necessary): Saturday, May 24 | TBD

Austin Super Regional: No. 6 Texas vs. No. 11 Clemson

Game 1: Thursday, May 22 | 9:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 2: Friday, May 23 | 9:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 3 (if necessary): Saturday, May 24 | TBD

Knoxville Super Regional: No. 7 Tennessee vs. Nebraska

Game 1: Friday, May 23 | 7:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 2: Saturday, May 24 | 5:00 p.m. ET
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 25 | TBD

Columbia Super Regional: No. 8 South Carolina vs. No. 9 UCLA

Game 1: Friday, May 23 | 1:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 2: Saturday, May 24 | 1:00 p.m. ET
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 25 | TBD

All times ET.

2025 Women’s College World Series

May 29 through June 5 or 6 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Just as quickly as things can be formed, they can dissipate in the continually evolving state of college sports in the NIL landscape.

Things appear to be on hold when it comes to action on the future of college athletics, as the House v. NCAA settlement has yet to earn final approval, and the NCAA is no longer in the business of enforcing college amateurism, instead deflecting power to the individual conferences.

While approval by Judge Claudia Ann Wilken is expected to transform college football and basketball in the revenue-sharing era, so was the potential for oversight by a presidential commission that will, at this time, not move forward.

Pete Nakos with On3 Sports reported Thursday that President Donald Trump put his plans for a presidential commission on college athletics on an indefinite pause.

“Donald Trump’s presidential commission on college sports has been paused,” Nakos wrote on X. “Expectation is commission will eventually be formed, but is being delayed as U.S. Senator Ted Cruz works to push through federal legislation.”

The proposed presidential commission was put together rather quickly and perhaps haphazardly, and Cruz has pushed for Trump to halt efforts to form one while he works on federal legislation regulating NIL.

The commission’s intent was to evaluate the role of NIL in college sports, but it lacked substantial details beyond identifying its members.

Former Alabama Crimson head football coach Nick Saban was expected to spearhead the commission as co-chair alongside Texas Tech billionaire booster Cody Campbell, and the two reportedly were talking behind the scenes.

Saban has come out since initial reports surfaced of the commission and his purported role to declare that he isn’t sure one is necessary.

“I know there’s been a lot of stuff out there about some commission or whatever,” Saban said. “I don’t think we need a commission. I’ve said that before. I think we know what the issues are; we just have to have people that are willing to move those and solve those and create some solutions for some of those issues.”

Nakos further reports that Campbell is expected to continue his quiet work on the commission until it’s ready to come to fruition, though again, the details are scarce on what that means.

Perhaps the best move is to simply wait until the impending July 1 date of the settlement’s approval and assess the state of college sports thereafter.

For now, the state of athletics remains in limbo, with no plan for oversight via an executive order.